Friday Beat
January 27, 2017 Edition
The newsletter that takes a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child approach.
Announcements
Webinar: Knocking Down Barriers for Outdoor School Physical Activity
This is a reminder that on Wednesday, February 1, 2017, at 9:00 a.m. CST, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAHPERD) will host Knocking Down Barriers for Outdoor School Physical Activity.Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from the first-hand experiences of Dr. Debbie Rhea, past president of TAHPERD and full professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas.This webinar will introduce the keys for overcoming the most common hurdles keeping children from outdoor school physical activity. Space is limited.After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Professional Development Opportunities
ASCD Empower17—The Conference for Every Educator
This is a reminder that the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)will hold its annual conferencein Anaheim, California, on March 25-27, 2017. One area of focus will be the Whole Child.Early-bird registrationends January 31.
Funding Opportunities
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Cooperative Agreements
This is a reminder that applications are due by February 16, 2017, for RFA-CE-17-002: Development and Evaluation of Sports Concussion Prevention Strategies.The Revised FOA (funding opportunity announcement) can be found under Related Documents; it includes questions/answers from the January 5 pre-application call.
Asthma Scholarship Award
The Texas Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society (TAAIS) Memorial Foundation is pleased to announce the 2017 TAAIS Memorial Foundation Asthma Scholarship Award. This $1,500 one-time award will be granted to up to 3 qualified and deserving high school seniors in Texas who suffer from asthma. The deadline to apply for the award is March 1, 2017. Please click the following link for more information and to download an application: 2017 TAAIS Memorial Foundation.
Health Education
Monitoring the Future (MTF) 2016 Survey Results
TheNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) released results of the MTF Survey, which is administered annually to students in grade 8, 10, and 12, assessing drug, alcohol, and cigarette use and related attitudes. Across all grades, past-year use of inhalants, heroin, methamphetamine, alcohol, cigarettes, and synthetic cannabinoids are at their lowest by many measures. Past-year misuse of all prescription opioids among 12th-graders has dropped dramatically in the past 5 years, despite high opioid overdose rates among adults.At each grade, teens were more likely to use e-cigarettes than cigarettes during the past month.Student responses are depicted ininfographicsthat comparethe 2016 results with previous years’results.Click onan infographic to see the enlarged version.
Physical Education Physical Activity
Every Kid Healthy™ Week (EKHW)—April 24-28, 2017
Observed the last week of April annually, EKHW was created to celebrate school health and wellness achievements and to highlight how physical activity, nutrition, and learning are connected. On the EKHW website, you can register to host an event at your school, find several resources to give you a head start in planning and promoting your event, and search for other events in which to volunteer.
Nutrition Environment & Services
Webinar: Best of #SNIC17 1 of 3—February 8, 2017
At 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST, the School Nutrition Association (SNA) will present Fats in Vogue, Wheat Woes, and Uh-ohGMOs. Join University of Texas Professor Jim Painter for a fresh take on some of the biggest trends in the food industry. Dr. Painter will discuss research related to fats, the gluten-free movement, and the use of GMOs in our foods. Participation in the webinar is worth 1 SNA continuing education unit.
National School Breakfast Week (NSBW)—March 6-10, 2017
Have you started planning for NSBW? Listen to the Food, Research & Action Center (FRAC) January Breakfast Matters Webinar, and utilize other resourceson the FRAC website to recruit parents, students, and public officialsto help celebrate NSBW.
Health Services
2016 State Honor Roll of Asthma and Allergy Policies for Schools
In its State Honor Roll, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) ranksthe states with the best public policy for people with asthma, food allergies, anaphylaxis, and related allergic diseases in U.S. elementary, middle, and high schools. The report checks every state against 23 measures in 3 categories; a state makes the honor roll by meeting 18 of the targets. In 2016, 15 states made the honor roll.Although Texas was not one of them, you can view the Texas State Profile to see which targets the state met and where gaps exist.The 2016 SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE I: Stocking Asthma Rescue Medications: The Time Has Come relates to Texas’s policy gaps of Emergency Management and Nurse to Student Ratio.
Counseling, Psychological & Social Services
Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention (ICRC-S) Webinar
At1:00-2:00 CST on February 8, 2017, the ICRC-S will present the first webinar in its series Critical Issues in Suicide Prevention and Research and Practice. The suicide rate among U.S. middleschool-aged children doubled between 2007 and 2014, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In Understanding Data and Prevention Strategies for Addressing Suicide Deaths among Children Ages 10-14, CDC author Sally Curtain will explain the data/trends.
Social Emotional Climate
Engaging Fathers Podcast Series
The Child Welfare Information Gateway has developed a series on engaging fathers and working with fatherhood organizations. Parts 1 and 2 are available to downloadon the Children’s Bureau website, and Part 3 will be released in February 2017. Leaders share insights about fathers’ value in their children’s lives, locating non-custodial fathers in the community, and partnering with fatherhood organizations to support child welfare practices.Alongside eachpodcast is a list of related resources.
Mindful Schools
This non-profit trainingorganization began as a single-school program in 2007 and now consists of a network of educators spanning all 50 states and more than 100 countries. The curricula and courses are designed for under-resourced public schools facing high turnover and toxic stress. The Resources section of the Mindful Schools website includes 2 documentary films, starter lessons for introducing children to mindfulness, audio guided practices for meditation, and a robust recommended reading list that addresses the neuroscience of mindfulness.
Physical Environment
Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality (CIAQ)
The CIAQ’s mission is to coordinate federal IAQ research while facilitating the exchange of information among all levels of government, the research community, the private sector, and the general public. To view the minutes and presentations from the October 2016 CIAQ meeting, visit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website. The next meeting will be held on February 1, 2017.
Quote to Note
“Change is inevitable—except from a vending machine.”
Robert C. Gallagher, author
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The articles and hyperlinks to external websites appearing in Friday Beat are intended to be informational and do not represent an endorsement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Other websites may not be accessible to people with disabilities. External email addresses may also be provided as a courtesy. If you choose to correspond, please be advised that DSHS policies may not apply. For information about any of the programs listed, contact the sponsoring organization directly. For comments or questions about Friday Beat, email the School Health Program at or call (512) 776-7279.
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